A Ran Romance
by Zenkx
Summary: A FanFiction based on IP eGames Ran Online. Characters and situations are fictional.
1. Chapter 1: Mina The Shaman

" I… really don't know what to do, Yuki." I said as continued to splash my feet in the water of the Lake Water Park. The water was cool and refreshing, but somehow it still wasn't enough to clam my turbulent thoughts. I shifted my dress downwards a bit, for the wind was warm and my neck was perspiring. Beside me, my friend, Yukita, sighed. She moved her legs a bit as she continued to fish, using my Dragon Wand as a fishing pole.

She turned to me now, her green eyes glazed with worry as she tucked away a stray lock of auburn hair from her face, "Why are you so worried, Mina? I mean, don't you think you should tell him that yourself?"

I looked down at the water as I thought about my answer, "You don't know Ken as I do. He's not going to come and tell me what's wrong. He isn't like that." I giggled, "Besides, you know how some men are. They're too proud to confide on other people sometimes."

Yuki laughed, "Well, you're right about that." She sobered up and looked down at her fishing rod again, pulling it up and down to entice the fish, but failing miserably, "But still, I don't always have the answers for you, Mina. You should try asking Paul about it yourself. It won't hurt to ask him right? Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I always say."

Once again, I am astounded with Yuki. For someone with a devil-may-care, carefree attitude, she sure has a lot of good wisdom in her, "I guess you're right." I hugged myself and looked up at the summer sky above us, all the while imagining my boyfriend, Kendric, in my mind's eye. His brown eyes… his thick, wavy hair… his full lips… I remember him so vividly. But as I remembered his eyes again, I felt myself shivering, for recently, Ken looked so cold and distant from me.

"Look…" Yuki said suddenly, making me start and snap out of my reverie, "It may seem like Ken is distancing himself from you, but maybe he's just like that. You'll never know. Maybe he'll tell us what's wrong when he's ready."

She smiled at me then, and I couldn't help smiling back. Yuki's smile can be infectious sometimes. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm sure he'll tell me what's wrong someday."

She grinned and patted me on the back, which brought me into a fit of coughing, for her friendly gesture was rather heavy and it hurt. "Thatta girl! Now come on, let's get a bite to eat, I'm starving. The fish aren't biting today, anyway."

I laughed as I snatched my wand back from her, and removed the line. "That's because you're using my staff, silly!"

We laughed as we put on our shoes and made our way to the Bus Stop, talking about what we going to buy at the Market Place. Yuki was ranting on and on about an overpriced bow she always wanted, and I smiled and laughed with her, but my mind was distracted with thoughts of Ken's strange behavior.

By the time we reached the Market, the place was already in full swing. Merchants and students alike roamed the area, selling their wares, trading items, and lightening their wallets from buying things. Yuki kept dragging me from store to store, looking for a new bow again, but I was very distracted. It wasn't until we reached the Locker Area, that I realized what was going on.

"HEY! KEN! SIGFRIED! HOW ARE YOU DOIN'?!"

I looked up to where Yuki was waving, and sure enough, there sat Ken, drinking cola through a straw, and his best friend, Sigfried, who was stuffing his face with pancakes, his sword sheathed at his back. He waved at us as he downed a cola, inviting us over, but Ken remained seated, his brown eyes staring at us.

"Move over, doofus." Yuki said to Sigfried, pushing him over to get a seat beside him. Ken moved a bit on his seat, giving me enough space to sit on. I sat down quietly, and feeling very shy, looked down at my fingers as I placed my hands on my lap.

"Awww… aren't you guys cute?!" Sigfried was saying. In my peripheral vision, I saw bits and pieces of pancakes that flew from his mouth as he spoke, and I giggled. "You guys act like kiddies in love!"

"Eww! You're getting your crud all over me!" My best friend screamed as she patted her pants clean. "Swallow your food before you talk, will you?! What are you, an animal?"

"Yeah! I'm a grizzly bear and I bite!"

"Oh yeah?! Just try and bite me!"

"Rwaarrr!"

"Bite me and you're dead, Sigfried!"

"You dared me!"

"Well, you started it!"

"That's enough!"

I looked up at Ken, who had stopped drinking and was glaring at both Yuki and Sigfried. The coldness in his eyes made me shiver, and couldn't help but look away from him. He must have noticed it, for he sighed and softened his voice as he spoke again.

"Sorry about that. I just want everything to be nice and quiet, that's all."

I nodded timidly. In front of us, Yuki merely raised her brows in annoyance. But Sigfried merely grinned.

"Haaa, Ken… if you would've wanted to eat at a quieter place, we should have headed to the Hang-Out instead. You just wanted someplace to speak with Mina, that's why you came here." His grin got wider as he used a Pocky Stick as a conductor's wand, singing as he waved the chocolate-covered confection in the air. "Ken wants to propose Ken wants to propose"

"QUIET, YOU!"

We laughed out loud as Ken reached out across the table, and grasping Sigfried's throat firmly, shook him so hard that I was sure his brain must've done a 360 degree turn inside his skull.

Yuki laid a hand on Ken's forearm as she said, "That's enough, Ken. There's no use shaking a head that had no contents in the first place."

Ken let go Sigfried, who was coughing from his friend's chokehold, but was still grinning. He resumed the quiet nibbling of his Pocky Sticks, but was still humming.

"Whatever, man." Ken said as he stood up. I was surprised when he took my wrist and pulled me up, "Come on, Mina, let's go."

I felt my face become warm. "Wha… where are we going…"

He looked down at me, and his eyes softened a bit, "I just want to talk to you. Nothing wrong about that, right?"

My face must be bright pink right now. "Oh, sure. Uhm… where are we going?"

"Just let me lead." He said, smiling at me as he took my hand. He turned to the two and nodded, "Just wait for us here, all right?"

Yuki nodded, but Sigfried swallowed his food and saluted him, "Yes, my captain!"

I laughed at his remark, and soon I felt Ken pull my hand away from the crowd. I placed my hand on my chest, as if trying to still my heart. It thundered inside me that I felt it would burst. Is he really going to propose? Will he tell me what's wrong now?

I wasn't really paying attention to where he was dragging me, but as I felt the road become inclined, I looked up and noticed that he was actually bringing me to the Wedding Hall, a church owned by the Sacred Gate Financial Group. I swallowed, for I have always dreamt that someday he would bring me here, and propose to me inside. Perhaps… perhaps…

"Hey, Mina…" Ken started as he finally let go off my hand. He looked up at the building in front of us as he continued to speak. "How long have we been together?"

"Uhm…" I said nervously, my voice shaking in both anticipation and fear. "We've been together for 11 month's now, Ken… we'll be having our one year anniversary this June, remember…?"

"Yeah, I remember." He said. His head lowered and hung, as if he was thinking deeply. "It was great being with you all these months, Mina. You gave me the greatest times of my life. I'm really thankful for that…"

I shook my head, "Ken… why are you saying this? Is something wrong? You've been strangely cold these past few days…"

"I'm sorry, Mina, but I can't be with you anymore."

Time grew still. I felt like everything just stopped. I couldn't breath and speak. I heard his words perfectly, but I think my mind didn't register it. I remained quiet as Ken turned to me and placed his hands on my shoulders. I wanted to look up, but I couldn't. I looked down to my shoes as I felt the tears start forming in my eyes.

"It's been almost like I'm living in someone else's life during all these months with you." I heard him say, "You are a really nice, beautiful girl, Mina. And I'm sure there're lots of guys who are head over heels in love with you, but… but I'm not one of them."

I nodded as I tried to calm myself down and be reasonable. My voice shook as I asked, "So… so that means you don't love me, right?"

"I'm sorry, Mina. I do love you, just not in the way you want it." He sighed, "I love you as a friend, nothing more. Believe me, I tried to love you, but I can't. I can't lie to myself, and I can't lie to you anymore. I hope you can forgive me. I just can't take the though of lying to you about my feelings for another month."

His word pricked my heart, and I felt it break into a thousand pieces. I tried to stifle my sobs, but I couldn't. I felt my tears run down my cheeks as Ken touched my chin and forced me to look up at him. My vision was blurry from my crying, but I could see in his eyes that it pained him to tell me this… to tell me the truth.

"I'm really sorry if I hurt you, Mina." He was saying now, his brown eyes looking at me sadly, "Someday, you will find someone who will love you unconditionally, and you will learn to love him, as well. But that can't be me. You are my friend, a sister to me… but no more. However, I'm sure that whoever is going to love you, will treat you right… perhaps, even better than I treated you."

I nodded my head and wiped the tears from my eyes. Looking up at him, I swallowed my pain and smiled at him, though it hurt my cheeks to do so. I was hurting so hard, but I have to show I still have strength in me. "I understand, Ken."

He looked at me sadly, "I'm really sorry, Mina."

I laughed, which made him a bit surprised, but I wasn't laughing because I was happy. What was happening with us was so ironic that I found it humorous. I found it ironic that someone would actually apologize about saying the truth, even if it was painful. "I'll be fine, Ken. I understand it perfectly. You don't have to worry about me."

Ken opened his mouth, no doubt to apologize again, but I cut him off. "Stop saying you're sorry. You don't have to apologize about being true to yourself and to me. You're right, if this had carried on, I'm sure it would've hurt us both even deeper."

"You really are a nice person, Mina." He said, bending over and kissing me on the forehead. The action was gentle, but to me it was like a jagged sword cutting my chest. I swallowed before I spoke again. "You see me as your friend, and as friends, we're supposed to support each other. So I accept your decision about us. I'm sure its for the best…"

Ken's face softened, and I felt him pull me into his embrace. I clung on to him as well, and though I felt like crying, I had to stop myself. A few seconds later he let go of me, and I got a whiff of his aftershave. I'll miss a lot of things about him, his scent is one of them, for I knew I'll never get close enough to him again to smell it.

I nodded to him, and he nodded back. He placed a hand at the top of my head in a pathetic gesture of comfort, and turned his back to me to ride the buggy back to Mystic Peak Campus. I watched him leave, and as his shadow faded off from sight, I became sad again. The sobs and cries I've been holding back finally came out, and I placed my hand on my mouth to stifle them. I felt my hand get wet with tears, but I couldn't wipe them.

"Hey, Mina! Look! I found a box of strawberry coated Pocky Sticks! They're selling them in Shibuya! Maybe we should try sticking it to a cup of chocolate ice cream, eh? Mina?"

I looked up, still sobbing, and in my tear fogged vision I saw Sigfried standing in front of me, one hand holding a plastic bag, and the other holding a chocolate-coated Pocky Stick. At the sight of my tear-stained face, the kneeled beside me. Panic widened his hazel eyes as he raised my face.

"Mina! What happened? Why are you crying?! Are you hurt?" He kept asking as he let his snack fall to the ground. He stuck his hand into his uniform and pulled out a handkerchief, which he used to wipe my tears away.

"I'm fine, Sig." I said, sniffing the last of my sobs away, and trying to my smile at him, "Ken broke up with me and, well, I didn't take so well."

Sig looked down at me, his face sad as he wrapped his arms around me in a comforting embrace. I wiped away the last traces of my tears as he continued to cradle my head in his arms, "Ken kept on telling that he had something to tell you. I didn't know it was about this." I felt him sigh, "I'm sorry, Mina, I should've seen this coming."

I shook my head as I broke out of his embrace. I sniffed my sobs away and patted his arm, for he held a worried look that touched me. "No. It's not your fault, Sig. I should've seen this coming, too. I'll be fine, don't worry about me."

His look remained skeptic, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm fine really." I said, but I knew I was lying to myself. I was hurting badly, and all I wanted was to go home and cry.

Sig, however, seemed like he read my mind, "Maybe I should just take you back to your house. I get the feeling that you'd like to be alone for a while."

I nodded, grateful that he didn't force me to talk. He put his arm around me as he walked me back to the Buggy. He held me close, and I felt strangely comforted. He was quiet during our walk back to the Parking Bay in the Mystic Peak Hole, and even until he was inside the car and driving back to the Residential Area in Trading Hole, where my apartment was located.

"You know… I can't help but feel guilty for this." Sig was saying as we climbed up the stairs. I was fishing my pockets for my keys when he said this, and I turned to him. "For the last time, Sig, you don't have to apologize or feel guilty. You didn't know about it either, remember?"

"That's the problem. If I really am his best friend, he would've told me and I would've persuaded him not to break up with you. He didn't have to hurt you this way, you know."

I can't help but smile. Usually, it was Yuki who comforted me when I have problems. It was good to know that a guy like Sigfried had a nice side in him. "Even if you talked to him, he still would've done it. He's stubborn, and he won't let anyone interfere with his decisions. Besides, you can't force him to love me. He told me that. He tried to love me, but he couldn't. You can't force someone to have feelings for you, you know."

He sighed as he leaned on the wall, as I placed my keys into the lock of my door, "Yeah, I guess you're right. And yes, Ken is a stubborn git." I couldn't help but laugh as he said this.

"Well, I'm just thankful you're here, Sig." I said as I opened the door, "You want to come in and rest for a while? Being with an emotionally troubled girl can be pretty tiring for a guy like you."

Now it was his turn to laugh. "No, I don't think so. I have three sisters, so I'm used to being around these situations. Besides, I know you'd rather be alone for a while." He raised his hand, still carrying the bag that contained a box of Strawberry Pocky Sticks and a pint of Trading Hole's best ice cream. "Here, you should have this. I heard ice cream can be a great comfort to those who have heartaches."

"Thanks, Sigfried." I said, smiling as I took the bag. "Thanks for taking me home."

He shook his head and waved a hand in a gesture, "Hey, no problem. If you need anything, you know how to contact me. Just rest for a while, okay?"

I nodded and waved goodbye at him before entering my door and closing it. As I walked towards my bedroom, I heard him walking away, whistling as he climbed down the stairs outside.

I plunked down on my bed, uniform and all, as I took the ice cream, spoon and Pocky Sticks that Sig gave me. As I took a bite of the chocolate-and-strawberry confection, I heard his car start and slowly move out of the driveway and into the street. Somehow that sound saddened me, and it made me feel very lonely. I dug my spoon into the ice cream again, my eyes brimming with tears… knowing that I am, once again, alone in this world.


	2. Chapter 2: Ken The Brawler

I feel like a prick.

Let me rephrase that. I know I'm a prick. After what I've done yesterday to Mina, I feel like the world has turned against me. I've lost consciousness during battles, had my weapons broken and have lost tons of duels with my classmates. But I probably deserve it. I know I deserve it. What I've done to her was so harsh… so cruel. She must be crushed right now, after what I have done. Who wouldn't be? But I'm just as crushed as her right now. I had a hard time letting her go, but I had to. It had to be done. It's better that she learns of the truth now, than later when we both have something to regret about. What I did was my choice… my decision… my way of keeping me and Mina safe.

But still, why do I feel so guilty?

The feeling rushed up into my heart, making it hard to breathe. In an attempt to force it down, I punch the concrete floor I'm sitting on. Pain flashed up my arm into my brain. It hurt like hell, but the adrenaline woke up my senses and made me alert. As I looked down at my fist, I noticed a shadow coming close. I looked up, and as much I loved seeing her face, I couldn't smile.

"If you keep doing that, you're going to hurt your hand." Yukita said as she gracefully walked towards where I'm sitting. I remained silent as she came and stood beside me, looking down upon the grounds of the Phoenix Campus. "You have quite a view up here."

I looked down at my hand again and flexed it. It still hurt, but there were no broken bones. "I'm not here for the view."

"I know. You're here to be alone." She said, placing her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "Anybody else who know your spot?"

"Just you and Sigfried." I said, focusing on her shoes, which were a few inches from my fist.

"That's pretty harsh… not telling your girlfriend your favorite place."

"Mina's my ex. And besides, you're even worse than me. You didn't tell your best friend that you were going out with me."

Finally, I looked up at her, and our gazes met. Shame and guilt was present in her features, as mine probably does. "Yes, I didn't tell her. I don't want to hurt her… after all she's done for me."

"Welcome to the club then." I said, leaning against the fence behind me. Normally, I'd be up here in the Phoenix Main Center rooftop with a can of cola and my MP3 player, but I wasn't in the mood for that now. "Where is she anyway?"

Yuki shrugged, "Sig took her home last night, but I haven't seen her since. I tried to contact her, but she isn't answering." She sighed as she looked at the horizon again, "I can't believe we betrayed her like this. I feel like such as jerk."

"You think that I don't feel that way? I was the one who broke up with her, you know." I ran my hand through my hair, for the wind kept ruffling it, as I picked up a small pebble and threw it towards the metal door to the building. It made a very hollow sound, which would be echoing down the stairwell below. "You should be thankful. At least your friendship with her is still intact."

"That's what scares me. What if she finds out about us, Ken?" She shook her head again, "I can't bear losing a friend like here. I can't bear the thought of hurting her like this… because of you…"

In the corner of my eyes, I saw Yuki's eyes water. My guilt doubled as I saw her on the verge of crying. I made Mina cry, and now I'm making her cry as well. I reached out my hand, my voice becoming softer, "Come here."

Yuki's slim legs folded, and soon I had her in my arms, her face buried in my shoulder for comfort. My left hand supported her back, while my right touched her hair, making the scent of flowers rise to my nostrils. I have no idea how to comfort a girl, but she didn't seem to mind. I touched her chin, and made her look at me. A tear fell down to her cheek and I wiped it away.

"If Mina finds out, we'll explain it to her. She was able to accept what happened to us… I'm sure she'll understand us when we tell her everything. She's not the type of person to hold a grudge…"

She sniffed a bit, "Are… are you sure, Ken?"

I nodded, but I know inside that it was just a lie. I have no idea how Mina is going to take this news, but for now all that mattered to me was comforting Yuki. I love Mina as a sister, as a friend, but Yuki… I love her more than that. I love her as a woman.

She wiped her eyes now, and smiled at me. It lit up her face, and I felt its effect on me. It was like drinking something warm and comforting. "Okay, Ken. We'll tell her when she's fine."

I smiled at her then… the first smile I made since breaking up with Mina. As I lowered my lips unto hers, kissing her tenderly, I felt like I had made the right choice.

"What the hell?!"

Yuki drew away from me, and gasped. I looked up to where she was looking, and felt my own jaw drop.

Sigfried stood by the door, his eyes wide with shock and anger. I could feel the tension in the air as we all stared, but something pink made me focus my gaze to his back. I felt the air rush out of my lungs as I realized who it was.

It was Mina, wearing her Ritual uniform, glaring at us through her tear-stained eyes, which was glaring with such hatred. I could see that both of them felt betrayed. The guilt and the shame rose to my throat, and as much as I wanted to speak, I couldn't. The four of us just stared at each other. Yuki rose to her feet and I followed suit, but we both couldn't dare to come near them. The anger in both their eyes could scare the biggest of Suryun monsters.

"How could you…" Mina said finally, looking at me and Yuki. "After all these years… after everything we've been through…" I felt Yuki sob, and take in a deep breath.

"Mina, please let us explain." She said, pleading, "There's a reason… an explanation for this. Just please hear us out…"

Mina closed her eyes for a moment, as if trying to calm down, but when she opened her eyes again, I took a step back. Her eyes became cold and merciless, as if her soul just disappeared inside her body. Her lips were set in a grim line as she spoke again, "No. I don't need your explanation. If you want him that badly… bad enough to hurt me… then, you can have him."

"Mina…" Yuki pleaded again, "Please, just listen to us. I thought we were best friends…"

"No." Mina replied again, and that single word slashed my heart like a knife. Yuki must've felt the same way, because she sobbed deeply, "A best friend never betrays. A best friend never uses other people to get their personal needs. No… you're not a best friend. You're not MY best friend. You never were… "

"Mina, just listen to us please…" I said. I took a few steps towards them… to get them to talk to us, but as I came closer, Sigfried moved. A second later, I saw the tip of broad sword glinting near my throat. I couldn't dare swallow. Sig had always been obsessed with swords, often sharpening his blades to the point they can cut through trees. I know Sig's capabilities, and I'd be dumb to challenge him like this.

"You… will not… come near her." Sig said, his eyes dark and cold. Before, he had this light in his eyes that made me feel comfortable with him, but now that light was gone. All I could see was anger and hurt. There was also venom in his voice I've never heard before. "Both of you. You will not come near her, or to me. If I see a single part of your body come close… even a foot from her, I will hurt you."

Mina took out her wand, too, and remained behind Sig. In the meantime, I've noticed that Sig had a very protective air in him. And I was a bit surprised… it was the first time I've seen him like this. He didn't normally do this kind of thing, in fact, he doesn't even protect his sisters like he was protecting her right now. It was very puzzling to me.

"We're leaving." Sig said again, his sword still raised at us, "If you utter a single word or come near us, I will hurt you. I don't normally hurt human beings, but I don't think I'd have a problem killing cretins like you two."

Yuki and I looked at each other, and remained silent. We both know better than to go against Sig's word. He had always been a man of action, and I don't want to think the type of bodily harm he could do to us if we moved or spoke.

So instead, we remained standing, staring at them as they moved backwards towards the door. A few moments later, they were gone, and silence prevailed again.

As soon as Sig and Mina disappeared, Yuki fell to her knees and cried. I felt my heart break at her crying, but I couldn't comfort her. I'm hurting inside as well, but because of Sigfreid. He was like a younger brother to me, and he always told me I was like an older brother to him. But our bond is broken, because of this. Our difference in attitude was our bond. Between the two of us, Sig had always been the noisier, more obnoxious and funny as hell guy. People always said he was like the annoying but totally awesome sidekick. But he wasn't a sidekick… he was my friend.

But now I've lost him. I made him lose his trust in me. It hurt, because it was like losing your family. I've lost the girl I always considered as my sister, but now I've also lost the guy I considered my brother. I lowered my head in anger with myself and in shame.

Yes, I am a prick. I broke two friendships with two people in one day. I've betrayed them, misused their trust and played with their emotions… and I feel like, no matter what I do or what I say, nothing will ever make them come back.


	3. Chapter 3: Sigfried the Swordsman

Call me sentimental, but I've always thought that sunsets are beautiful.

I loved the colors. I love how the orange and yellow tint of the sun mixed with the bluish hue of the sky. In art class, I tried hard to paint it, but I never could. It's like this mixture of color that no painter could ever get into a canvas.

I also liked the symbolism. Sunsets always remind me of how another days is coming to an end, and that another day is about to start. I always makes me want to anticipate the future, to know that a new challenge is about to come, that a new day is coming. The thought always made me happy.

But somehow, watching this sunset today… it made me feel pretty tired.

I gazed down at Mina beside me. She continued to stare at the sunset, her eyes red and moist with tears. I know she's hurt far worse that I am. I want to comfort her but I can't.

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, some people can't be comforted.

The sunset shines upon her now, I felt breathless. It's not because of what happened today, but with the way Mina looked. The golden rays of sunlight shone through her hair, making it unbearable for me to reach out and touch her. Her eyes, blue as the ocean before us, turned violet at the light, and had so much pain in them. It hurt me, just looking into her eyes.

I do not deny that I like Mina. In fact, like is an understatement. I loved her the moment we became friends, way back during our Senior years. It was me who introduced Ken to Mina, hence, probably my fault of all this mess. I introduced her to Ken in the hopes that she'll never know how I felt, even if it did hurt me so much.

But still, I never realized that Ken liked Yuki so much as to hurt Mina. Perhaps, I've been too blind as well. Now that I think about it, I was. I've seen her touch him on his arm, reach out for him, her eyes softening as she looked at Ken, and him doing the same thing to Yuki, all the while having his arm around Mina.

Oh my God. I've been such a fool.

"You seem awfully quiet today, Sig."

I looked down at Mina, my thoughts coming back to this moment with her. Her eyes still had tears, but she was smiling a bit. She looked so beautiful, with the light shining down at her. I swallowed before talking.

"You are too, but then again… we can't really say anything, after what we've seen."

She nodded and looked out into the horizon again, "Yes, I suppose so. But I thought you knew about this… about Yuki."

"Heck no!" I said, shaking my head furiously, "I didn't even know that Ken LIKED Yuki. Besides, even if I knew, I'd definitely tell you. Ken's my friend, but I don't want him to hurt you. I'd kill him if he did…"

"Well, he hurt me now." She shrugged, smiling a bit while she looked at me, "Does that mean you're going to have to kill him?"

"Do you want me to?" Please say yes, I want to hurt him so much after what he did to you.

She giggled, "No. You can't do that. If you did, you'd get arrested and sent to Prison… and you know how horrible those Ringgys are."

"Well, I'd bear it if I have to. What he did to you… to us… it's inhumane."

"Maybe... but if you kill him, that would mean you're inhumane as well." She looked up at me, "Besides, I don't want you to go to jail. You're the only friend I've got left."

Okay. That was a bull's eye.

I stood up suddenly, moving away from her. Her last sentence kind of hit me.

There's no hiding this anymore.

"Mina, I have to tell you something."

She looked up at me now, her face puzzled. I can't bear looking at her, after what I'm about to say. I'm afraid of what she'd say, or what she's thinking.

I'm afraid she'll reject me.

"Mina, I… I… lo…lo…"

"You're…?"

"I… lo..ve… you… Mina."

Silence.

From behind her, I heard movement. It seems that she stood up. Her voice, rather soft and utterly confused, asked, "Excuse me?"

Boy, this girl can be clueless. But then again, I can understand how she feels. I've been around her all this years, then all of the sudden here I am saying this confession.

"I love you, Mina… I've loved you for years. That's the reason I introduced you to Ken in the first place. He's been my best friend for a long time and I thought that you deserve better than me. I've always known that he was the better man than me… he's just so smart and strong. The moment I saw you looking at his face… the way you blushed and smiled, I knew you liked him immediately. I hurt me to see you like that, but… you were happy, and that was enough for me." Whew… I'm glad I was able to get that out of my chest, "I've… kept it for so long now, I guess what I'm saying is… it's my fault that you're hurt like this. I probably shouldn't have introduced you to Ken."

I turned to look at her, now that I was able to get everything out my chest. She stood there, her clasped hands over her heart, her eyes gazing at me confused, but her face red as a beet from embarrassment. My own face felt warm. Heaven help me, I'm a guy and I'm blushing like a kid.

"Sigfried…" She said softly, "Th… thank you so much… thank you for being so honest, but… I can't…"

Oh darn.

"Oh right… sorry." I heard myself say, though my brain was blank, "I shouldn't have blurted it just now. I understand. I guess it looks pretty dumb of me… trying to take you away from my best friend… well, ex-best friend anyway…"

She looked up and waved her hands, "No… no! It's not that, Sigfried." She looked down at her feet, "I'm thankful that you said this, that you were so honest, it's just that…" She looked at me with sad eyes and said, "I… need some time to heal. I need to think about things. I'm so confused right now about all this, and I need to clear my head."

Somehow, when she said that, I felt a little relieved. That wasn't exactly the reply I was looking for, but still, it meant that she didn't hate me for saying it. It was like a ray of hope shining down on me. I smiled down at her and nodded.

"I understand, Mina. But… I guess this means you're going home to think, doesn't it?"

She smiled up at me and nodded, thanking me with her eyes, as she slowly walked away. But as she was about to get into her car, she turned to me and smiled.

"Sigfried, thank you… for everything."

For some reason, the way she said 'for everything', I felt a whole lot better. It was like a giant thorn was removed from me. And the way she sounded… it was so sincere and full of gratitude.

She got into her car and drove away, as the sky darkened into night. I looked behind me to see that the sun had sunk over the horizon of the Wharf, and that the stars were starting to blink at the sky above me. I fixed the straps of my sword's sheath and shrugged as I started to walk home.

I know that it'll take a few days for Mina to recover, and 'think' as she said. I don't mind, I'll wait for as long as I can. Because I know that should we be able to fix this, the next few years would be worth it all.


	4. Chapter 4: Yukita the Archer

"YYYAAAWWNNN!!!"

I looked down beside me to see that Ken stretching out his frame from lying on our picnic mat, before looking up at me and smiling. I tried to smile back, but as I did, I looked up to see that two MP students were staring at us. When they saw me looking at them, they moved along, their mouths hidden under their hands in inaudible whispers.

It's been like this for days. Ken never seemed to mind, but I've always noticed it. It was like everyone in school hated me for what I did to Mina. Even some of the instructors, whom been pretty warm towards me, became rather haughty and turned the cold shoulder when I came near.

It was like the whole world hated me.

Mina was still in school, teaching Junior students, healing people with her magic, acting strangely normal. But whenever I come near to speak to her, she disappears… via her spell Massive Haste or by teleportation. Sigfried has been the same as well. Ken tried it. When he noticed that Sig was avoiding him, he merely shrugged and stopped approaching him.

I looked down at Ken now, and leaning over, kissed him lightly on his lips. The world may seem to hate me, but at least, I have him to love me.

"They're staring again, aren't they?"

My eyes met his in an understanding gaze, and I nodded, "Yes… they were. It always makes me feel guilty."

He raised his hand and touched my cheek gently, "Do you regret it? Do you regret being with me?"

"No, of course not." I said, "I just hate not having Mina and Sig with us. I miss them so much."

I straightened up as Ken pushed himself up to a sitting position. I closed the book I was reading and watched him as he looked around our picnic spot in the Trading Hole, before turning towards me.

"Look, I know that it seems like they'll never forgive us, but I know them both. Sooner or later, they'll forgive us. I don't know how long it's going to take, but I'll wait for them if I have to." He looked up the sky, and I realized that his eyes look really sad. "I don't know if Sig will forgive me, but I'm willing to wait for his head to cool off."

I plucked a blade of grass, "Yes… I suppose I should do the same with Mina. I miss her so much…"

A sudden beeping made me jump, and I fumbled on my pocket for my phone. The screen said the call came from my Instructor.

"Yes, sir! Yukita here."

"Yuki, teleport to the Practicing Yard immediately." He said, "We're being invaded by Level 4 Suryun Mobs. Delegates from both Phoenix and Sacred Gate are there too. If Ken is with you, make sure he comes too."

I nodded, "Affirmative. We're teleporting right now."

Ken looked at me as I stood up and tucked my phone in my jeans again, "Suryun Mobs?"

"Yes, Level 4 invasion. We need to get there fast."

He nodded and soon enough disappeared from my sight. Knowing he must've teleported there with the help of his friend, I closed my eyes and teleported as well.

The moment I got there, screams of both pain and anger drifted to my ears. Looking around I saw Ken and his friend fighting a giant Alien Kingkong, with a few other delegates. Ken turned to me then, "Yuki! Hit them now!"

I nodded and drew out my arrows, working in killing the mobs as fast as I could. I followed Ken as he cleared out several Dark Swordsmen and Ninja Knives, and soon noticing that a much younger archer was running around, collecting dropped items from our kills. I turned to look at Ken's friend, who established himself as their party leader and said, "Don't worry about it! We'll split it up afterwards!"

"YUKI! LOOK OUT!"

I turned to see an Alien Archer pointing her arrows at me, but before I can react, the creature froze as if she turned to stone, and a giant sword came slashing through its head, slaying it instantly. As the creature fell, I looked up just to see Sig catch his sword and Mina lower her wand. As I continued to gaze at them, Sig nodded and pulled Mina back into battle with other monsters.

Smiling to myself, I went back into fighting mobs with Ken. As our gazes met, he smiled a bit, as if he knew what I saw, and I smiled back. We continued slaying Suryun Mobs, but I didn't mind, because somehow, in the middle of all this battle, Mina and Sig must've forgiven us.

"Well, that's it. That's all we got."

I looked down at hand and sighed. It turns out that our kill wasn't enough, and we had very few items. I looked up at Ken, who was already pocketing his winnings, as if he was satisfied, and at the other archer with us, who seemed delighted just to have them. I looked around the carcass-ridden floor of the Practicing Yard and couldn't help but sigh in disappointment.

"Nah, don't worry about it, Yuki." Ken's friend, Ryuusuke, said, patting my shoulder, "The next time, we'll try to get here early, so we can get to kill more."

Ken nodded to him, "Yeah, thanks a lot, Ryuu. We did great." He smiled down at the archer, "You did great too. Someday you'll be a great archer."

The girl smiled and bowed down, before running up the hill for the bus stop returning to the Mystic Peak Campus. She looked back at us and waved, and Ryuu waved back before turning to us.

"Well, I'd better get going too. I promised her that I'd help her get into the Carpark."

Ken shook hands with Ryuu and we watched him head up the hill to the awaiting archer. As we turned to look at each other, I realized that Ryuu was looking rather distracted and had his gaze behind me. "What's wrong?"

His eyes widened and he took off into a run towards one of the monsters that lay on the floor. I followed him, watching as he pushed aside a corpse of a Ninja Knife and an Alien Kingkong. As he removed them, I gasped and fell to my knees.

Because on the floor, covered in blood, were an unconscious Mina and Sig.

"Damn!" Ken cussed as he picked off Sig from Mina, and I saw, to my horror, that an arrow was embedded into his shoulder, which was bleeding profusely. "I NEED A SHAMAN HERE!!!" He shouted as he covered Sig's wound with a cloth, trying to stop the bleeding.

I pulled Mina off from the corpses and saw that she was very pale, and that blood was running down her face from her forehead. I felt her scalp, noticing a deep gash and a lump at the back of her skull. I pulled my hand off, but when I did, I saw the blood… her blood… on my fingertips.

Ken looked at me then, and he must've seen my panic and fear, for he shouted louder for assistance from shamans. And for the first time I felt fear… I felt fear that Mina, the only girl whom I considered to be as my sister, was dying in my arms.

The thought scared me so much that I hugged her head and prayed, prayed that she lives and not leave me alone…because I can't bear the thought that I'd lose her without saying that I love her, and that she's the best friend a woman like me could ever have.


	5. Chapter 5: Story of the Four

"How is she, Nurse?"

"Oh she's doing very well, Yuki." The Nurse said as she finished inspecting Mina's head and checking her vitals. "The bump on her head didn't cause too much damage, aside from the fact that it caused her to lose consciousness. There was no hemorrhage in her skull, which is good. Her training must've strengthened her skull as well." She smiled, "She'll be out of here in a few days."

"What about Sigfried?" Ken said beside Yuki. She looked up at him now, and realized that he was sweating and was very pale.

"Sigfried was lucky enough to survive." The Nurse said, shaking her head, "Though the arrow missed his lung, he still lost a huge amount of blood." She nodded towards the bed a few feet from Mina's, where Sigfried lay, his face white, as if he was in the brink of death. "It might take him a few weeks to recover, and we also have to replace the blood that he has lost."

Ken swallowed and looked down at the floor. Yuki reached down and clasped his hand, and he gripped it tight. He swallowed again and seem to regain composure as he turned to the Nurse and said, "We'll watch over them for you if you want."

The Nurse nodded, "Yes, that's a good idea. Since the Suryun just finished, a lot of students are wounded or injured today." She nodded at them both and turned to another student, who seemed to have broken her wrist during the Suryun, "Pft, I told you not to go there! You're still a Sophomore! You'll get your chance when you reach higher levels…"

Ken headed to Sigfried's bed and sat down on a chair beside him. Yuki gazed at him for a moment, before sitting down at the chair beside Mina's bed. Looking down at her friend, she felt her eyes water, for even if she knew that she was going to live, Mina looked like she was dead. Her face was white as a sheet, and her breathing barely stirred the blanket that covered her. Yuki reached down and clasped her friend's hand as she started praying.

"Haaahhhh…"

Yuki looked up to see Mina's mouth opening a bit, and her eyes moving as if she was in a nightmare. She stood up suddenly and touched her face, "Mina… Mina… are you awake…?"

Mina's mouth moved again, "Hnnnnn…"

"Mina… your brain is fine." Yuki said in an effort to get her to talk, "If you don't form a word for me, I'll slap you silly right here, right now."

Mina's eyes opened a bit, and looked up at Yuki. She felt her eyes water as her friend's eyes found hers, and soon she opened up her mouth and said…

"I…got… o-owned…"

Yuki found her words funny and laughed, all the while tears of joy fell from her eyes, "Yes… yes… you were owned bad, Mina."

She smiled up at her, but she grimaced and swallowed, "Wa…water…"

Yuki nodded and soon enough, Mina was propped up on her bed, her throat again better after drinking a cool glass of water, and her color turning into her pretty shade of peach. Yuki fluttered over her, bringing pillows and things like a worried grandma, and Mina laughed when she pointed this out. After that, Yuki simply settled on the chair again.

"So… how are you and Ken?" Mina asked, looking over to Ken, who was still by Sig's bed, his eyes closed on his hands, as if praying a very long novena.

Yuki looked at Mina, as if trying to find a trace of that anger she had seen on her a months ago, and she sighed, relieved, to see that there were none. "We… we're doing well, before all this." She smiled up at Mina and said, "I'm really sorry if we betrayed you, Mina."

Mina merely smiled up at her, then looked down at the blanket cover as she started fiddling with it, "That's okay, Yuki. I guess… I accepted it. I didn't want to get mad anymore, so I let it be." She giggled, "I told Sig that it was useless if we remained mad at you guys. We knew that you'd still continue to love each other. That's why we helped you out this afternoon."

Yuki's eyes watered again as she bent down and kissed her friend's hand, "Thank you very much, Mina. Please forgive us…"

She touched Yuki's head, "You're forgiven, Yuki… and Ken too, if he needs to hear it." She blushed lightly as she looked over to Sig's bed, "Besides, there's another reason why I've forgiven you both."

Mina's face was red as a beet when Yuki looked up at her, and her eyes shone with happiness. She recognized the look from the time Mina and Ken were going out, and couldn't help but grin widely.

"Oh… my… God… You fell in love with someone else, didn't you?!"

Mina's face flamed even more, and she covered her face with the blanket. Yuki laughed as she tried to pull the blanket away in a playful gesture.

"Oh no, you don't! You have to tell me with whom you're in love with! You haven't spoken for days, Mina! Who is he? Do I know him? Is he from our school? C'mon! Tell meeee!!!"

She started tickling Mina, and she giggled, "Yes, Yuki! You know him! Now please stop, you're making my head hurt!"

Yuki ceased her playful attack as Mina's eyes peeked at her from underneath the blanket, "Who is it, Mina? Tell me please!"

Mina looked over significantly to Sig's bed then back at Yuki, after which she hid under the blanket again. Yuki's face, which was smiling, turned into a look of disbelief.

"You… you fell in love with Sigfried?"

Mina stood up straighter and lowered the blanket covering her face, "Yes… I fell in love with Sigfried." She blushed as she continued to explain, "He confessed to me that the reason Ken was going out with me was because he loved me, and that he knew that Ken would take better care of me than him." A loving smile entered her features, "When I look back, I realized that I DID like Sig as well… and that the love that I felt for Ken was merely like that of a brother. He protected and defended me and helped me become strong physically… but when I see everything that has happened in the past, I realized that it was Sig who wiped away my tears, who kept telling Ken to take care of me, and made sure that I kept laughing and smiling, as well as help me to become strong emotionally."

Yuki smiled at Mina, "I'm very happy for you, Mina."

"Thank you." Mina said, as she looked over to Sig, "And this… this showed that he truly loves me. He took an arrow to defend me, and I… I never experienced that with Ken."

The two friends looked at each other, silence stretching out between them. Finally, Mina looked over to Sig's bed again and sighed, "Did the nurse say anything about when he's going to wake?"

Yuki shook her head, "No… sorry. She said that he lost quite a huge amount of blood. But I'm sure he'll wake up… we just don't know when."

Mina looked at Yuki for a moment, before swinging her legs over to the edge of the bed. Yuki let out a shriek, "Mina! You're not supposed to get up!"

"It's my head that got hurt, Yuki, not my legs." Mina said as she grasped the bed's railing and started to stand. But when she tried to straighten her legs, the room spun around her, and she fell to her knees. Yuki was beside her in an instant.

"See? You're still dizzy! Now, come on, get back to bed before you…" Yuki silenced for a second, before letting out a second shriek, "KEN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

A second later, she felt herself being lifted, and looking up, she saw Ken, and realized that he had carried her. His arms held her back and her legs, and he strode with purpose towards Sigfried's bed. He then gently laid Mina down beside Sig, and kneeled in front of her.

"Mina…" Ken said, "I heard everything you two were walking about, and I know that at this moment, you are the only one who can wake him." He nodded towards Sig, "He told me that he loved you, long before we even met. I told him that he should court you instead of me, but he begged me to take care of you, so I did. I know that he could hear you far better than he can hear me, so please…"

Mina looked down at him, then back up at Yuki, then back to Ken again. She nodded slowly, and Ken nodded back, before stepping back a few steps towards Yuki, who immediately grasped his hand. Mina turned to look behind her, before slowly laying down, her face coming close towards Sig's ear.

She stayed beside Sig for a while, and soon enough it became night. Yuki looked over at her watch to see that it was almost 8 PM and sighed. She pulled at Ken's sleeve and looked up at him.

"Ken, maybe we should leave them alone for a while." She said as Ken continued to look at Mina and Sig, "We haven't eaten dinner yet, and we can't exactly watch over them if we're both weak from hunger."

Ken took a deep breath, scratched the back of his head and nodded, "Okay, let's get some dinner for Mina too, I'm sure she's hungry." He strode over to where Mina lay, and touched her head, "Mina, we're going to get some dinner okay? We'll be right back." Mina nodded, her face still buried on the crook of Sig's neck and Ken sighed. He strode back to where Yuki was waiting and the two of them walked out the clinic.

For a few moments, silence reigned throughout the room, and then…

"Are they gone?"

Mina chuckled as she whispered, "Yes, they're gone. You can open your eyes now."

Sig moaned, his voice a little groggy and weak, "No, I can't… I get dizzy when I open them." He sighed as he inclined his head towards Mina, his cheek coming in contact with her lips. "But I'm alright just being here with you, Mina."

She smiled and kissed his cheek, as his hand rose and found her hand. "I'm glad you're doing well, Sig."

"I heard everything, actually." He said, "I just couldn't open my eyes or speak… I get dizzy and my throat was dry. But I heard what the Nurse said and that Ken was praying…" He turned his head towards her so that their eyes met, and slowly, he opened one eye and looked at Mina, "I even heard you and Yuki talking about us."

Mina's face warmed that Sig felt the heat through his skin, "You heard that?"

"Yup… you should've heard Ken while you guys were gossiping. He was chuckling, and saying that it was about time you found out the truth." Sig sighed again, "I'm sorry I was late in telling you how I felt, Mina."

She smiled and reached up to touch his cheek, "It's better late than never, Sigfried." Then she bent down, and slowly, touched Sig's lips with her own in a sweet kiss that he was yearning for in years.

Their kiss lasted for a few second, but Sig felt like he kissed her for an eternity. He looked up at her as she broke away and whispered, "I love you, Sig."

He couldn't help but chuckle in joy, "I love you, too, Mina." He sighed and smiled again, "I want to laugh so much… but I can't because it hurt like crazy. But I'm very, very happy…"

Mina snuggled to Sig again, "Then rest for now. When you're healed, we can laugh all we want, with Yuki and Ken with us again."

Ken chuckled, "Yeah, good idea. I'm going to pretend like I'm a coma for a bit longer so I can make fun about Ken crying like a baby."

She laughed and put her arms around Sig, her face shining with contentment as she accompanied Sigfried on his road to mending.


	6. Chapter 6: Epilogue

The young lady in a red shaman set rummaged through her purse and took out her money as the Shaman Instructor handed her the items.

"Here you go… 600 piece of Divine Talismans and a Dragon Wand. Thank you for your purchase!" The girl smiled and bowed in gratitude as she headed back to her party in the Carpark. "Don't let those Skating Masters get you!"

"Looks like you made a lot of sales today, Mina."

She looked up to see Sigfried coming towards her, wearing blue pants and shirt, with a dragon emblem at the front. She smiled at him, and rushed to his embrace, before letting him go and planting a kiss on his cheek.

"You ready for lunch?" Sig said as she let go and fixed her suit, which consisted of pink pants and a long sleeved, off-the-shoulder blouse, which rumpled at the slightest movement.

"Yes, I'm ready. My replacement is here already and I heard Yuki and Ken are waiting." She said as she waved at the Shaman Agent that replaced her, who wore the same uniform she was wearing.

They headed hand-in-hand to the TH Ring, and was happy to see that Ken and Yuki were there, waving at them as they ordered Hotdogs, Ice Cream and Colas. Both of them wore Agent uniforms, with Ken wearing a dragon-emblazoned sleeveless shirt and gray pants, and Yuki wearing a white long sleeved shirt and jeans, with a chest protector.

"You took a while." Yuki said as she settled on a chair, "We were waiting for ages."

Mina sat down as Sig and Ken distributed food to their group, "Well, I heard there was an increase in students taking up Shamanism, so I had my hands full lately."

"Yeah, well, I've been pretty easy lately." Ken said as he settled beside Yuki, "Turns out there are very few Brawlers left… it kind of sucks."

Yuki patted Ken's hand, "Don't worry, dear, I'm sure there'll be more of them soon."

Ken smiled at Yuki before turning to Sig, "You've been awfully quiet, Sig. How did you do?"

"Nah, nuthin' much." Sig said he munched at his serving of hotdogs. "Still a lot of swordsmen around, but most of them have high rankings already, so I'm easy."

"Ugh, man! You're spreading your food all over me again!" Yuki said as she patted her uniform clean, "You don't change, do you?"

"Hey! I change!" Sig said in mock-offense, "I just don't change towards you."

All of them laughed, and Sig turned to look over at Mina, whose smile never failed to make him happy. He reached out and brought her close to his shoulder, smiling down at her.

Mina looked confused but she smiled up at him, "What's the matter, darling?"

He shook his head, "Nothing… I'm just… happy." He sighed as he brought his lips close to her ear, "I'm happy and content… and glad I wasn't too late."

When he looked down at her again, she was smiling still, but her face registered the same happiness and contentment that shone from his face. She scooted up a bit and kissed him. It was a kiss that they shared many, many times, and yet it seemed different and wonderful every time.

"GET A ROOM YOU TWO!"

They broke apart and laughed as Yuki shouted. Yuki and Ken laughed at the sight of their blushing faces, and she raised her cola can and shouted, "For friendship!"

Mina, Sig and Ken took their cans and toasted as well, "For friendship!", they cried, as the camaraderie that they thought was once broken, was renewed again… better, happier, and stronger than before.


End file.
